COMPTON : Moore Seeks to Recant Plea in Extortion Case
Former Compton City Councilwoman Patricia A. Moore has filed a motion to withdraw her guilty plea to federal extortion charges.
Moore and Rep. Walter R. Tucker III (D-Compton) were charged with extorting money from an FBI agent posing as a businessman who said he wanted to build a controversial waste-to-energy plant in the city. Tucker, who was mayor at the time of the alleged meeting, has pleaded not guilty.
Moore, 46, originally pleaded guilty to extorting more than $9,000 and filing a false income tax return, and was expected to testify against Tucker. But last week, she filed the motion to reverse her guilty plea, saying she was tricked into cooperating with the prosecution.
Prosecutors said Moore and Tucker were captured on videotape, accepting thousands of dollars in 1991 in exchange for their support of the energy plant.
A hearing on Moore’s motion is scheduled April 24 before U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall.
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